Lead Poisoning Prevention

Welcome to LeadSAFE Erie County, the Erie County Department of Health’s (ECDOH) comprehensive program to prevent lead poisoning. Here, you will find information about lead poisoning and the services available through the ECDOH and our community partners to eliminate lead poisoning.

Lead Poisoning Prevention - What’s New!

Renewing Our Pledge: A Path to Ending Lead Poisoning of Buffalo’s Most Vulnerable Citizens

On March 27, 2018, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo announced the release of a comprehensive community action plan to eliminate lead poisoning. For more information read the report here.

Press Releases

Lead Poisoning Prevention in Erie County

Despite significant progress, childhood lead poisoning remains a serious problem in Erie County and throughout New York State. Every year thousands of children under the age of six are diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels in Erie County. Thousands more are exposed to lead hazards in their homes every day.

Conditions that give rise to lead poisoning can be found anywhere in Erie County however they are especially prevalent in neighborhoods that have a high amount of older housing. Nine of the county's zip codes, predominately in the City of Buffalo: 14201, 14207, 14208, 14209, 14210, 14211, 14212, 14213, and 14215, have been designated by the New York State Department of Health as “Communities of Concern” where children are at exceptionally high risk for lead poisoning. Click here for a map of Communities of Concern.

Lead and Lead Poisoning

Lead is an element found naturally in the earth’s crust that has been mined and used by people for thousands of years. It is useful in manufacturing, surface coatings and glazes, automobile batteries, and a variety of industrial processes. Up until 1978, lead was used in many house paints. Even today, deteriorating lead-based paint in homes can lead to high (and unsafe) concentrations of lead in house dust.

Like iron, calcium and magnesium, lead is a metal. However, unlike those minerals, which are needed by the human body, lead is a poison – even in very small amounts. It can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma, and even death. Young children, when exposed to high levels of lead in house dust, are particularly vulnerable. Since there is NO medical treatment to permanently reverse the adverse health effects of lead exposure in children, it is criticalto focus on prevention. If you live in pre 1978 housing, it is important to safeguard the children in your home or apartment from suffering the damaging effects of lead poisoning, by keeping the home clean and keeping painted surfaces intact.

LEADSAFE Erie County offers the following programs that support the prevention and elimination of lead poisoning:

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program- Responsible for case management of lead poisoned children in Erie County. The program conducts investigations and provides information to the parents of children under the age of 18 that have tested positive for elevated blood lead levels.

Lead Hazard Control Program (LHC)- Provides FREE or very low cost lead paint remediation and minor home repairs to qualifying properties located in Erie County including the City of Buffalo and the City of Lackawanna.

Home Renovation, Repair and Painting

RENOVATE RIGHT! Always work safely around lead!

If you are performing any renovations or repairs on your pre 1978 house or plan on hiring a contractor, then you need to work lead safe!

Doing the work yourself? Get trained!

Learn how to use Lead Safe Work Practices when remodeling, repairing or painting your home. Every year hundreds of children are diagnosed with lead poisoning due to exposure of lead hazards during home repairs and renovations.

The Erie County Department of Health offers FREE classes on how to protect yourself and your family from being exposed to lead hazards while doing renovations in pre 1978 homes. Classes are open to the public and are offered monthly. Registration is required.

Make sure they are certified in RRP! Contractors who perform renovation, repairs, and painting in pre 1978 housing need to have this certification and must take special precautions around paint that may contain lead. Be sure to ask your contractor about their certification(s). Under strict EPA rules that took effect on April 22, 2010, special certification is required for all home improvement activity in housing built before 1978 and in ANY child occupied facility. This rule, "Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP)" is intended to ensure that any activity that disturbs paint in older housing is performed using lead-safe work practices. For more information visit the EPA "RRP" website or call 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).